In the second match of the ninth edition of Pakistan Super League, Quetta Gladiators easily defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 16 runs.
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam invited Quetta Gladiators to bat in the match played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Quetta Gladiator’s inning
Gladiators’ openers gave the team a brilliant start and scored 206 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs, Jason Roy 75, Saud Shakeel 74.
Apart from this, captain Riley Rossow scored 13 runs, Sherfan Rutherford scored 20 runs and Mohammad Wasim scored 4 runs.
On behalf of Peshawar, Salman Irshad took 3 wickets, Luke Wood and Mohammad Zeeshan dismissed one player each.
Peshawar Zalmi’s inning
Chasing a target of 207 runs, Peshawar Zalmi got off to an aggressive start, with a 91-run partnership between openers Babar Azam and Saim Ayub.
Then Saeem Ayub was unfortunately run out after scoring 42 runs off 26 balls. After that Muhammad Haris scored 7, Tom Koehler 18, Powell 17 and Mosley 11 runs. Zalmi’s captain Babar Azam played an innings of 68 runs off 42.
In pursuit of the target, the Peshawar team scored 190 runs for 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs and thus Quetta won the match by 16 runs.
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam created a new history in HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). Babar became the first batsman to score 3000 runs in PSL history, scoring 3004 runs in 80 innings.
On Sunday, the teams of Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators competed against each other at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
In this match, Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam invited Quetta Gladiators to bat. Gladiators’ openers gave the team a brilliant start and scored 206 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs, Jason Roy 75, Saud Shakeel 74.
In pursuit of the target, Babar Azam crossed the milestone of 3000 runs in PSL while batting. Second in this list is Fakhar Zaman of Lahore Qalandars who has scored a total of 2381 runs in PSL so far.
Social media site X, formerly Twitter, is down across Pakistan, causing problems for millions of users of the micro blogging app.
According to real-time internet and social media outage and monitoring service Downdetector.pk, X is down in Pakistan since 9 PM Saturday night, with users complaining that they are having trouble viewing tweets and new posts.
But users can acces itvby using VPN.
Cyber security watchdog, NetBlocks has also confirmed the shutdown of X in Pakistan. In the last few days, internet services including social media sites have been blocked several times across Pakistan.
In a substantial crackdown on the illicit trade of non-duty-paid cigarettes, the Inland Revenue Enforcement Network (IREN) successfully seized over 679,000 packerites (15,580,000 sticks) of smuggled cigarettes during a two-day operation.
The confiscated cigarettes, representing various local and foreign brands, including Business Royal, H&P, Platinum, Milano, and Olympic, have an estimated value exceeding PKR 140 Million.
The enforcement teams targeted local shops in Peshawar, Multan, and Sialkot, where the availability of non-duty paid cigarettes had seen a concerning surge.
This operation was initiated under the directive of Mir Badshah Khan Wazir, Member (IR-Operations), who emphasized the need to curb the illegal trade of tobacco products.
Criminal proceedings have been set in motion against both manufacturers and transporters involved in this illicit trade.
One of the key factors contributing to the rise in the popularity of smuggled cigarettes is the substantial price difference compared to duty-paid alternatives.
While the cost of a pack of 20 duty-paid cigarettes starts at Rs600, the non-duty paid counterparts can be obtained for as low as Rs200. Some reports even suggest that certain brands are being sold at an even more economical rate.
The increasing prevalence of non-duty paid cigarettes poses a serious concern, not only in terms of lost revenue for the government but also due to health implications.
Smokers in Pakistan, attracted by the affordability of these illicit products, have contributed to the surge in sales of non-duty paid cigarettes.
The IREN’s recent operation sends a clear message that the authorities are actively addressing this issue to safeguard public health and financial interests.
As investigations unfold, it remains to be seen how this crackdown will impact the illicit trade of cigarettes and discourage individuals from opting for non-duty paid alternatives.
Italy may be the land that launched Cosa Nostra, but today it is one of the safest countries in Europe, with a murder rate well below its neighbours.
From the mid-19th century through to the 1990s, thousands of people died in mafia violence, from rivals or traitors cast in cement or fed to pigs, to judges, priests and witnesses killed for daring to defy the mob.
There were also the traumatic “Years of Lead” from the end of the 1960s to the 1980s, when armed groups from the extreme left and extreme right brought terror to Italy with bombings and assassinations.
The brutal murder of former prime minister Aldo Moro by the Marxist-Leninist Red Brigades in 1978 is burned into the national psyche, although the largest number of the estimated 400 victims of the period were killed by neo-fascists.
But when this bloody period ended, and after a crackdown on mafias which pushed them into less violent financial crime, the murder rate plummeted.
Back in 1990, there were 34 murders per one million inhabitants in Italy, compared to 24 in neighbouring France, according to UN figures.
In 2021-22, this had fallen to 5.5 per million in Italy and 11 in France, eight in Germany and 10 in the UK.
In Europe, only Norway and Switzerland have a murder rate lower or equal to Italy’s, while Latvia, the worst, has a rate 6.5 times higher.
“Homicides in general have decreased in the last 25 years, especially the percentage of men” — who previously were the main victims of mafias, noted Raffaella Sette, a sociologist at the University of Bologna.
Just 10 percent of murders each year are now blamed on organised crime.
“The mafias — the Camorra, the ‘Ndrangheta, the Cosa Nostra — have radically changed their way of operating,” said Gianluca Arrighi, a criminal lawyer who writes police novels.
“Today, they operate from a more economic point of view, buying up real estate, entering into companies,” he said.
Analysing the causes of violence across different countries is always risky, but Arrighi believes several factors are at play.
While Italy is poorer than its comparable EU neighbours, he says this is not always detrimental to social well-being, saying “goodwill” between people can help compensate for life’s difficulties.
“The higher the conflict in a society, the higher the number of murders, committed by people who are in some state of anger,” Arrighi told AFP.
The murder rate is, however, higher in the south of Italy, the poorest part of the country.
But Stefano Delfini, head of criminal analysis at the government’s department of public security, agrees that “our society is less violent”.
“The social fabric is more resistant, probably because of the presence of family values which mean difficulties are felt in a less harsh way.”
Another factor that drives violence in other countries is alcohol or drug use, particularly in France and the UK.
Italy does not keep data on this, but consumption of alcohol is the lowest in the EU, according to the World Health Organization.
There is rising awareness in Italy about femicides — killing of a woman or girl by a partner, spouse or family member — with 97 recorded in 2023, out of a total 330 murders.
A lack of harmonised data on femicides makes comparisons with other European countries difficult.
But statistics compiled by the World Bank for 2021 show a rate of 3.9 murders of women per one million people in Italy, well below the 6.8 in France and 8.0 in Germany.
Lilian was 20 when her newborn baby died of medical complications at a hospital in El Salvador, where abortion is a crime and even the suspicion of one can land a woman in jail.
Lilian was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison for “aggravated homicide” after her infant daughter passed away at a public hospital in Santa Ana in the country’s west in November 2015.
“I gave birth naturally, but I had a tear in my uterus,” recounted Lilian, now 28, who declined to give her full name to protect her family.
She was sedated for a procedure to fix the tear, and when she awoke, “I knew my baby was dead.”
Her nightmare did not end there.
“I was first accused of abandonment and neglect, but the prosecution called it ‘aggravated homicide’ and I was convicted in May 2016,” she told AFP.
A report found Lilian’s baby had died of neonatal sepsis, yet she spent eight years behind bars for ‘aggravated homicide’
Last year, a medical report concluded that her baby had died of neonatal sepsis, a finding that resulted in Lilian’s early prison release in November with the aid of women’s rights NGOs.
By then, she had already served eight years behind bars.
“If she (the baby) had been treated in time, she would not have died. I wouldn’t have wasted so many years of my life in prison,” said Lilian, whose other daughter was just two when it happened and was raised by her grandparents.
“I only saw her twice, I did not see her grow up.”
Lilian is the last of 73 Salvadorans to be released from prison in the last decade under a campaign by rights groups to free women serving sentences of up to 50 years for abortions, miscarriages, or birthing complications.
In Latin America, elective abortion is legal in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay
Almost all are from poor backgrounds in rural areas where health services are precarious, said Arturo Castellanos, a social worker with the Citizens’ Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion.
Alba Lorena Rodriguez, now 36, became pregnant at 21 after an acquaintance raped her.
Five months pregnant, she went into premature labor at home.
“I had to give birth to him myself, I fainted, I dropped” the baby, she told AFP.
A neighbor called the police, and Rodriguez, who has two other daughters, was arrested at the infant’s funeral.
“I felt the world come crashing down on me, because I knew I wasn’t going to see the girls, and they were punishing me for something I hadn’t done,” she said.
“The one who raped me was on the outside with his family and I (was)… imprisoned. The law is unfair,” said Rodriguez, who said she had no defense lawyer and no chance for anything like a fair trial.
Rodriguez served 10 years of a 30-year sentence before she, too, was released.
Both women chose to talk to AFP in the capital San Salvador, far from their own villages where the punishment has not stopped.
When the jailed women leave prison, “the community discriminates against them and stigmatizes them,” Castellanos said.
Alba Lorena Rodriguez, now 36, became pregnant after she was raped by an acquaintance at the age of 21
In Latin America, elective abortion is legal in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay.
It is banned outright, without exceptions for health risks or other circumstances, in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Nowhere are the penalties as severe as in El Salvador, however.
Under the law there, abortion is punishable by two to eight years in prison. But the charge is often changed to “aggravated homicide,” which carries a penalty of 30 to 50 years.
Since 1998, when abortion was criminalized in El Salvador, 199 women have been sentenced.
Since Lilian’s release last year, none remain imprisoned, but seven women are awaiting trial, according to the Citizens’ Group.
“No one can give me back my lost time. I’m rebuilding the bond with my daughter,” said Lilian, who would like to see the law changed so that other women do not have to go through what she has.
But President Nayib Bukele, newly elected to a second five-year term with near-total control of parliament, has said there will be no change to abortion laws in the deeply Christian country.
“The struggle continues,” said Lilian.
Since abortion was criminalized in El Salvador in 1998, a total of 199 women have been sentenced
In the opening match of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9, Islamabad United defeated Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets.
In the match played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan won the toss and invited Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi to bat.
Playing first, Lahore Qalandars scored 195 runs for 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan played an innings of 57 and Abdullah Shafiq scored 28 runs, David Wesa scored 14 runs and Fakhzaman scored 13 runs. Van der Dusen remained unbeaten with 71 off 41 balls.
Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan took one wicket each while Tymal Mills dismissed 2 players.
Islamabad United achieved the target of 196 runs at the loss of 2 wickets in the 19th over. United captain Shadab Khan remained unbeaten with 74 runs off 41 balls with 5 sixes and 6 fours.
Agha Salman was not out with 64 runs off 31 balls, Agha Salman’s innings included 3 sixes and 7 fours. Apart from them, Alex Hales scored 36 runs and Colin Munro scored 5 runs.
Zaman Khan and Salman Fayaz took one wicket each for Lahore Qalandars.
In a notable shift in the precious metals market, the per-tola price of 24 karat gold in Pakistan witnessed an increase of Rs800, reaching Rs213,200 on Saturday. This rise is compared to its previous sale at Rs212,400 on the last trading day.
Similarly, the price of 10 grammes of 24 karat gold experienced an uptick, climbing by Rs686 to Rs182,785 from Rs182,099. The All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association reported that the prices of 10 grammes of 22 karat gold also saw an increase, reaching Rs167,553 from Rs166,924.
On the other hand, the price of per tola silver exhibited a decrease of Rs30, settling at Rs2,550. Simultaneously, the price of ten grammes of silver witnessed a decline of Rs25.72, reaching Rs2,186.21.
Internationally, the price of gold ascended by $9, reaching $2,034 from $2,025, as reported by the Association. These fluctuations in the precious metals market reflect the dynamic nature of global economic conditions, influencing prices both domestically and internationally.
The killer of seven-year-old Abaan Mazhar has been arrested in the Federal B area of Karachi and in a shocking turn of events, he is the cousin of the victim.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Central Zeeshan Siddiqui, the arrested suspect Sufyan is between 14 and 15 years old and he is the cousin of the deceased Abaan and lived with him.
The police informed Geo News that the suspect said that Abaan used to complain to his father about him, leading to the older boy getting scolded many times.
The accused killer said in his statement, “I made a mistake”.
On the day of the incident, he took Abaan to the park from a back street and killed him inside the bushes at Dhobi Ghat.
Sufyan then washed the knife and kept it in the kitchen.
The police are still investigating the matter.
In an exclusive footage obtained by Geo News, it can be seen that the cousin was taking Abaan along with him while the little boy was strolling totally at ease holding his hand.
Regarding this, SSP Central Zeeshan Siddiqui said that two teams were working on this high-profile case. The accused was put on the suspect list on the first day, but being a family member, it was difficult to arrest him immediately.
Previously, the body of a seven-year-old boy, Abaan Mazhar, was found in bushes in the Federal B Area in Karachi on Wednesday afternoon.
The boy, whose throat had been slit with a sharp instrument, was found within the limits of the Yousuf Plaza police station near the Cardio Hospital Federal B Area Block 16. Station House Officer (SHO) Shahid Rao told The News that around 3:30 pm, a call was received by Madadgar-15 about an injured boy found in bushes.
A police team rushed to the location in Federal B Area Block-16 and shifted Abaan Mazhar to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. SHO Rao said the boy was alive when he was found and when people heard him screaming, they immediately contacted the Madadgar-15 hotline.
Witnesses saw the child lying injured, trying to speak but was unable to do so. They added that they had not seen any suspect near the boy when they found him.
Abhan was a resident of Federal B Area Block 16. He was a student of second grade and the second of three brothers. According to his family, he had left home two hours ago. They maintained that the family had no enmity with anyone.
SHO Rao said they had talked to Mazhar, the aggrieved father, who said his son studied in a private school in the area and as he worked in a private firm, he had hired a private person to pick up and drop his son from school.
The father also said that as per the daily routine, Abaan had returned from school at 2 pm but after a few minutes, someone knocked on the door of his residence and the boy again left the house. It was at around 3:30 pm, the family received the information about the boy’s death. The father told the police that he had no enmity with anyone and he did not know who had killed his son.
The post-mortem report revealed that the throat of the minor boy was slit with a sharp weapon, while no evidence of abuse was found, reports ARY News.
Samanabad DSP Asghar Mehdi told the media that the child died on his way to the hospital. He added that a woman living in a nearby flat first saw the child and shouted for help.
The police has been making efforts to obtain CCTV footage. A case has been registered and investigations are underway.
Lahore Traffic Police has issued an advisory plan for the first phase of the ninth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL). According to the details, PSL season 9 festival will be held today, the opening match will be played between Islamabad United and the defending champions Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
For this, the City Traffic Police (CTO) has issued a traffic plan for effective flow of traffic and awareness of cricket fans, during which four SPs, 12 DSPs, 90 inspectors will perform their duties. CTO Lahore Amara Athar said that more than 900 wardens will be deployed at Gaddafi Stadium, teams’ routes, alternative routes, while 20 forklifts, five breakdowns will also be deployed to eliminate wrong parking.
Amara Athar has said that three parking stands have been allocated for the convenience of cricket fans and easy access to the stadium, no road will be closed for traffic during the match, Mall Road, Canal Road, Jail Road, Main Boulevard. Gulbarga Road will remain open for traffic. The city traffic police will welcome the cricket fans in a traditional manner.
It should be noted that according to the PSL schedule, this season of PSL will continue till March 17. In the first phase, the matches will be played in Lahore and Multan, while the second phase matches will be played in Karachi and Rawalpindi.
